Just when Liu Yimin was thinking hard about the countermeasures, the base camp had already begun a series of troop deployments.

The first to receive the order was the Central China Front, and the order of the base camp was very simple, that is, to urgently transfer the 6th Division, the 16th Division, and the Guoqi Detachment to return the North China Front to the North China Front, and transport the ship to Qingdao to land, under the command of General Terauchi Shouichi, commander of the North China Front.

This was followed by an order to urgently form the 21st, 22nd, 23rd, and 24th Divisions, with Lieutenant General Washizu Songhei organizing the 21st Division in Kanazawa, Lieutenant General Tsuchihashi Ichichi organizing the 22nd Division in Utsunomiya, Lieutenant General Ohara Matsuchitaro organizing the 23rd Division in Kumamoto, and Lieutenant General Kuroiwa Kazukatsu organizing the 24th Division in Harbin, China. Among them, the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd divisions were urgently transported by the combined fleet to the first line of Qinhuangdao in Bohai Bay for landing, and the 24th division was transported south by railway from Harbin, and the four divisions were unified into divisions directly under the North China Front. The Combined Fleet undertook the task of covering the landing of infantry divisions and blockade of Bohai Bay and bombing Tianjin.

As a matter of fact, the base camp of the army has long been planning to expand the army, and officers, equipment, and reserve soldiers have also been mobilized in place, waiting for a paper order. Like the 24th Division, like the 25th Division that had already attacked Taiyuan, it had actually been secretly formed a long time ago, but it was only given an open number. Otherwise, a newly formed unit at the division and regimental level will not be able to go to the battlefield within a few months.

The order to restore the structure of the Fifth Division was also issued immediately, with Lieutenant General Toshiyoshi Ando as the commander of the division, and the Guards Mixed Brigade was composed of the 1st and 2nd Guards Infantry Wings, the 3rd Guards Field Artillery Wing, the Guards Cavalry Wing, and the Guards Engineer Wing.

After finishing the task of dispatching troops, Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Palace looked at Lu Xiangshan Shanyuan and said jokingly: "Your Excellency Lu Xiang is really loyal to His Majesty the Emperor, in the words of the Zhina people, it is to strategize and win a thousand miles." ”

Shanshanyuan is a person who is confused on the outside, shrewd on the inside, and has a very thorough understanding of the strange and tragic political arena. The reason why he was able to sit in the position of Lu Xiang was, of course, not because of his strategic literacy, but because of his dog-like keen political sense. In the past two days, Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Palace has often ridiculed him in his words, how can this old boy not hear it? However, he couldn't afford to provoke Prince Zairen of the Xianyuan Palace, seeing that Zairen's words were full of banter, Shanshan Yuan scolded in his heart, "Damn old bastard, you really think of yourself as the emperor's elder, I greet your family's female surname", but on the surface, he became more and more humble, smiled and said: "Let Your Excellency the Prince see and laugh, the big idea is still His Majesty the Emperor and His Excellency the Prince, I just do my duty and do specific things." Please take care of any inappropriate circumstances. ”

Prince Zairen of the Xianyuan Palace naturally did not know that Shanshan Yuan had already greeted his grandmother, mother, wife and daughter, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter in his heart. After listening to Shanshan Yuan's words, he felt useful in his heart, twisted his gray mustache, and said with a smile: "Lord Lu Xiang doesn't have to be modest, I see, our army has gathered this time, and the time that this branch teacher has existed in the world can already be calculated in days." When the time comes, I caught the cunning Liu Yimin, and remember to tell Terauchi Shouichi that he must be escorted to Tokyo, let him kneel at the gate of the palace, lick the dust off the ground with his tongue, and then throw him into the sea to feed the whales. Isn't he able to toss, I want to see if he will be like the monkey in Chinese mythology when he gets into the belly of the giant whale. That's a lot of fun! ”

Seeing that Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Palace had changed the topic, Shanshan Yuan knew that the sycophant just now was successful, and immediately continued: "Your Excellency the Prince is so interested, I think that no matter how powerful Liu Yimin is, he will not be able to run away this time." How can he know about the great military power and great military exploits of my empire, as long as our army arrives, it will naturally be captured. When the time comes, I will invite His Excellency the Prince to taste sake and enjoy Liu Yimin's performance of licking the dirt at the entrance of the palace. Yes, it's better to get his wife and dance to us. That's the supreme fun! What does Your Excellency think? ”

When Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Palace heard this, the tears of laughter and snot flowed out together, and he was connected.

The second chief on one side, Shigeru Sawada, was not interested, frowned, interrupted the two chiefs, and said: "This Liu Yimin is not an ordinary person, and we still don't know how large the number of troops his instructor is. Coupled with the heavy firepower of the Fifth Division and the Chahar Corps, his strength must have increased greatly, and I am afraid that it far exceeded the size of a division. If it weren't for this, he wouldn't dare to attack Tianjin. Now, he has received our munitions, materials, equipment, and planes in Tianjin, and he can rapidly expand his troops in Tianjin, and his strength will be even stronger. At the very least, it can be judged that the firepower of his instructor is much stronger than that of Song Zheyuan's 29th Army. In this battle, the imperial army was strong, and with the support of a powerful combined fleet, victory was certain. I'm worried that when the two strong meet, it will be a victory and a miserable victory. The Imperial Army may have to pay a great price. ”

Saying this, Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Palace and Shanshan Yuan, the two old devils, were silent. After a long time, Shanshan Yuancai said: "Let's send a telegram to General Shouichi Terauchi, this Liu Yimin is scheming, and the use of troops is often unexpected, but don't let him take advantage of the loophole." If there were another tragedy like the 21st Brigade and the Chahar Dispatch Corps, the emperor would definitely condemn him. ”

Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Palace stopped joking, turned his cloudy eyes, and thought for a long time before he said slowly: "This Liu Yimin is really cunning and murderous, and you should be cautious and cautious when fighting him." Although he now has many weapons, he can also pull up a large team. However, weapons require qualified soldiers to use. I'm not afraid that he will expand his army around Tianjin, that would be better, and it would allow his elite troops to dilute their combat effectiveness and become a new corps. As soon as the imperial army arrives, it will drive them into the Bohai Sea to feed the fish like sheep. The top priority at the moment is to tell Shouichi Terauchi that the 10th Division and the 108th Division must not advance alone, and be careful of falling into Liu Yimin's trap and suffering heavy losses. As for the three divisions of the Kwantung Army, don't worry, let them go hand in hand and form a heavy army group. As soon as the elite 6th Division, 16th Division, and Guoqi detachment arrived, they launched a full-scale attack. Tianjin is so big, the seven main divisions plus the fifth division and the ninth brigade will make Tianjin's net as strong as a fishing net. Liu Yimin's instructor had no way to escape, at most he went to the eastern Hebei area to confront the imperial army. This is exactly what we want, and Jidong is the place of his death. He probably thought that as long as the imperial army regained Tianjin, it would withdraw its troops, giving him a chance to breathe in eastern Hebei. This time, we did not let him get his wish, and carried out heavy troops to pull the net to clear the net in eastern Hebei, even if we dug three feet into the ground, we had to catch him and take back all the materials and equipment that he had embezzled. Otherwise, just to make up for the material supply losses of the North China Front, there will be complaints from all over the empire. ”

After Prince Zaihito of the Kanin Palace finished speaking, Sugi Sugi Moto and Sawada Shigeru both nodded one after another. Prince Zaihito of the palace was not polite, and instructed Sawada Shigeru to send a telegram to Terauchi Shouichi, urging the Kwantung Army to move south, the 10th Division, and the 10th and 8th Divisions to advance steadily, and to ask Sugi Sugimoto to urge the new divisions and regiments formed by order to assemble quickly and not delay the trip of the combined fleet.

Shanshan Yuan was worried that it would take time for the formation of the newly formed divisions, and Prince Zairen of the Xianyuan Palace directly told him that the troops had already been reorganized, and they were all screaming, and they were in a hurry to go to the branch to make contributions. Now that they have been given a number and the chief is clear, they can be pulled out, where and what formation time is needed.

After speaking, seeing that Shanshanyuan was still a little hesitant, Prince Zairen of Xianyuan Palace resumed his playful demeanor, and told Shanshanyuan with a smile, not to mention the formation of these four divisions, even if ten more divisions were formed, they could be quickly started, and it was said that the empire had already prepared for this war, but it was limited by international public opinion that the scale of the war could not be expanded, and it could not be made public.

Only then did Shanshan Yuan understand that His Majesty the Emperor and Prince Zaihito of the Imperial Palace had already been deployed, and he felt that he was a bit of a scumbag as a land minister, and he only knew about such an important matter, and he thought that according to the normal army expansion procedures, he needed to call up reserves and prepare equipment, and it turned out that the emperor had already quietly done what he should do as a land minister.

When he returned home in the evening, Shanshan Yuan was a little depressed, ignored anyone, changed into a kimono, sat down cross-legged, drank sake, hummed a little tune, and looked complacent.

Mrs. Shanshan Yuan was a powerful character, and when she saw her husband behaving like this, she judged that there was either a happy event or an annoyance, so she came in and knelt beside him and poured wine for him. While pouring wine, he said that his daughter Shanshan Yunzi had graduated from the medical school and was going to sign up for the army and go to China to rescue the warriors of the imperial army, and asked Shanshanjun to take the time to see her daughter off.

As soon as Shanshan Yuan heard this, he kicked over the small table with one kick, scolded twice, and wanted to beat his wife after grabbing him.

After enduring it, Shanshan Yuan said, "Please ask Madame to call Yunzi and drink with me." ”

By the time Sugi Yunzi walked in with his head down, Sugi Moto had already asked the servant to clean up the small table that he had kicked over.

Shanshan Yuan beckoned his daughter to sit in front of him, and then asked his daughter how she was studying at school and how her life was. After asking, I asked my daughter why she wanted to join the army and go to the front.

Shanshan Yunzi was about eighteen years old at this time, and her eyebrows were clear and beautiful, and everyone loved her. Seeing his father ask, he raised his head, stared at Shanshan Yuan with a pair of clear eyes, and said loudly: "The imperial army fought bravely for the interests of the empire in China, and their deeds touched every citizen of the empire. As your daughter, I should set an example for others and use what I have learned to go to the battlefield and save the soldiers of the Imperial Army. I think my father should support me and encourage me, and I will never be ashamed of you. ”

Only then did Shanshanyuan realize how powerful the education of his group was, and even his beloved daughter was fascinated.

After taking a sip of sake, Shanshan Yuan slowly came to his senses, touched his daughter's head and said, "Yunzi has grown up and knows that he has served the country." However, fighting a war is a man's business, and it is not suitable for a woman to go to the front. Yunzi only needs to help her mother with household chores at home. You're not too young, it's time to get married. I'll let your mother know tomorrow and see if there's a young man who can make Yunzi like it. If Yunzi has a crush on someone, you can also tell your mother and ask her to help you get an idea. ”

As soon as Shanshan Yunzi heard that her father, who was the prime minister of Lu, would not let her go to the front line of China, she was anxious. With a pair of pretty almond eyes, he said, "I don't marry, I want to join the army." My father may not know that all the college students in China are looking forward to going to China to make a career. Of the 20 girls in our class, 12 signed up to join the army as medical soldiers, and 8 signed up to go to the comfort station to comfort the imperial army. As your daughter, I am obliged to go to the front with my classmates. Yunzi is determined to be sure and asks his father to fulfill it. Please! After speaking, he kowtowed heavily to Shanshan Yuan.

Shanshan Yuan held back his surname and said patiently: "Yunzi, it is very dangerous to go to the front line, it is very likely that you will never see your parents again as soon as you leave." Can't you bear not to have your parents? ”

Shanshan Yunzi said: "Newspapers and radio reports every day that the people of China are illiterate, and the soldiers have not even seen tanks, and as soon as they heard that the imperial army was coming, they began to flee from a distance of hundreds of miles, and a dozen soldiers of the imperial army can occupy a county town, what danger can there be?" Please rest assured, father, and come back to see you when Yunzi finishes his military service. ”

Shanshan Yuan sighed in his heart, Yunzi was right, it turned out that this was indeed the case, the ragtag army of the political axe did flee when they heard the news, and there was indeed a team to capture a county town, but it was all about what dynasty! Since the Eighth Route Army of [***] went to the battlefield, it wasn't they who took the initiative to attack the Imperial Army that time! I don't know what the people would have thought if they had known that the cavalry wing of the 5th Division had been beheaded after their deaths.

After thinking about it, I knew that if I didn't talk about the reason, my daughter would not give up. Shanshanyuan put on a face and told his daughter about the instructor's elimination of the main force of the Fifth Division of the Flower of the Imperial Army and the Chahar Corps, and about the fact that the instructor has now occupied Tianjin, and that all the 6,000 imperial troops in Tianjin have been broken and all the overseas Chinese have been taken prisoner, and he also told that the instructor also used the fighters of the imperial army to blow up all the airfields of the North China Front. In the end, Shanshan Yuan said earnestly to his daughter, who was already a little scared: "War is very bloody, especially girls, it is very terrible to fall into the hands of the enemy, and you can't die if you want to." Therefore, fighting a war is a man's business, and those who charge into battle are those untouchables, as the pearl of the noble Shanshan family, I will not allow Yunzi to join the army and go to the front. All Yunzi had to do was sit at home and admire the deeds of the untouchables and the spoils they had sacrificed from plunder. ”

Although Shanshan Yunzi was already a little scared, he still said stubbornly: "Since the war is not going well now, I should go to the front line to rescue the wounded and serve the imperial army." Please support me, father. ”

At this time, Shanshan Yuan suddenly changed color, and directly pulled his daughter and slapped her a few times, and after being angry, he directly grabbed Shanshan Yunzi's hair and dragged her to the bedroom, asking his wife to take care of her, so that she didn't have to go to school anymore, let alone join the army, and be confined at home. When did you figure it out and no longer ask to join the army, you could lift the confinement.

Shanshan snorted and went to drink again. Mrs. felt that her husband didn't know what medicine she had taken today, and her character occasionally exploded, and she was overjoyed, and she persuaded her daughter to think, can she taste the joy of the newlywed again tonight?

Like the tense and hectic situation in the base camp, after receiving the telegram from the emperor approving the expansion of the army and the reinforcement of North China and resolutely recapturing Tianjin, the old devil of Terauchi Shouichi was like a chicken blood, and he suddenly became energetic, and he no longer had the sick appearance he had last night, and he kept urging Lieutenant General Naosaburo Okabe to send telegrams to the First Army, the Second Army, the Central China Front, the Kwantung Army, and the Admiralty, urging the Kwantung Army of the First Army to move south and the 10th Division and the 10th and 8th Divisions of the Second Army to quickly return to the division, and pay attention to strict search and vigilance. Troops cannot be dispersed; urged the Central China Front to immediately load the 6th Division, the 16th Division and the Guoqi Detachment on ships; urged the Kwantung Army to quickly dispatch favorable troops to the south and block the northbound passage of Tianjin; supervise and urge the Kwantung Army Flying Group to dispatch aircraft to cover the actions of various units; Urge the Admiralty to order the Combined Fleet to march towards the Bohai Bay, and order the detachment fleet stationed in Qingdao to blockade the Bohai Bay; Qi Kuiyuan's North China Security Army was strictly ordered to obey the orders of the imperial army and speed up its deployment.

After a series of telegrams were sent, Shouichi Terauchi finally breathed a sigh of relief, sat down in his chair, and took a breath.

Unexpectedly, the call back in all aspects was not satisfactory. First, the 6th and 16th Divisions sent a telegram back, saying that the losses in the Nanjing operation had not yet been replenished, and it was estimated that they would be able to take a train to Shanghai tomorrow to board the ship and set off for shipment. Then there was a call from the Kwantung Army's southward corps, the troops could attack Tianjin, there was no problem, but the North China Front must provide the troops with supplies as soon as possible, otherwise the soldiers would be hungry in two days.

Terauchi Shouichi was furious and strictly ordered the 6th Division, the 16th Division, and the Guoqi Detachment to be transported to Shanghai immediately to board the ship, otherwise military law would be enforced. Then he sent a telegram to the Kwantung Army, begging General Ueda Kenkichi to see that he was loyal to the emperor and to transfer grain and grass from Manchuria no matter what, so as to help the North China Front tide over the difficulties.

Fearing that Ueda Kenkichi would not do his best, Terauchi Shouichi endured the pain and sent a senior staff officer to bring a few famous paintings found in Beiping, as well as some gold bars and a school flower from a medical school to join the army in Beiping, to see General Ueda Kenkichi and beg him for help.

After all this, Terauchi Shou couldn't stand it anymore, so he asked Okabe Naosaburo to inspect the defense of the front line from Beiping to Tongxian on his behalf, and went back to his residence to rest.

Lieutenant General Naosaburo Okabe stayed up all night, and it was another busy day, and at this time his eyes were red and yawning. However, the situation was tense, and he had to inspect the troops and inspect the defensive positions. As a result, after inspecting Qi Kuiyuan's position, Okabe Naosaburo was furious and scolded Qi Kuiyuan with his head and face. Because the fortifications of Qi Kui Yuanbu were too poorly repaired, in the opinion of Okabe Naosaburo, not to mention heavy artillery, he couldn't even lift the 75-mm field howitzer bombardment.

Qi Kuiyuan was scolded inexplicably, and explained aggrievedly that such fortifications were enough, not to mention Tubalu, even Chiang Kai-shek's elite lineage, and there were not a few 75mm field howitzers.

Okabe Naosaburo was angry, but at this time, the troops were weak and needed to be employed, so he couldn't give Qi Kuiyuan too much face, so he patiently told him that this instructor was not an ordinary army, they were now using the elite heavy weapons of the imperial army, didn't they see how Taiyuan City was breached? Don't be careless, carelessness will lead to losses.

Qi Kuiyuan woke up at this time, saluted Okabe Naosaburo in a proper manner, and then strictly ordered all troops to strengthen their fortifications, strengthen their vigilance, and strictly prevent the sneak attack of the Eighth Route Army. When it was over, Qi Kuyuan saw that it was not too early, so he flattered Okabe Naosaburo and said that he knew that a high-class courtesan had come from Tianjin, very beautiful, very foreign, and knew several Chinese. He is willing to be the east, and invite His Excellency the Chief of Staff to meet with this courtesan and spend the night together.

As soon as Okabe Naosaburo heard this, he remembered the Tokyo beauty who was strangled to death by Shouichi Terauchi, and he had an impulse in his heart and blurted out: "The work of Qi Jun's friend is very good, let's go!" ”

As soon as the words came out, Naosaburo Okabe realized that no, when is it, there may be a war at any time, where can I leave the headquarters to have fun? Swallowing his saliva, Naosaburo Okabe said to Qi Kuiyuan: "Not now, the military situation is important, and you can't leave your post." I can't go, and neither can you. After this battle is fought and the Tubalu Sect Mentor is eliminated, I will talk about it! ”

Qi Kuiyuan saw that Naosaburo Okabe refused, and he felt a little regretful. After thinking about it, I felt that there were not many opportunities to be alone with Naosaburo Okabe, and I couldn't miss this opportunity, so I had to climb this big tree. He directly proposed to Okabe Naosaburo that his troops needed to be expanded, and asked the Imperial Army to allocate weapons, ammunition, and funds, and that in the future, His Excellency the Chief of Staff would resolutely carry out the order.

Okabe Naosaburo glanced at Qi Kuiyuan, and saw that the other party was not abnormal, but still a slave with a smile on his face, and knew that this guy was not taking advantage of the fire to rob, but just wanted to tie himself up, find a backer, and seize the opportunity to expand his power.

Okabe Naosaburo patted Qi Kuiyuan on the shoulder and said to him appreciatively: "In such a big North China, it is impossible to find a person like Qi Jun who has strategic thinking and is extremely loyal to the Great Empire. Qi Jun rest assured, this matter is on me. The commander has long wanted to expand your troops, and when this battle is over, I will definitely suggest to the commander that he approve your expansion of troops for the purpose of maintaining law and order in North China. ”

When Qi Kuiyuan heard this, he was pleasantly surprised, and immediately called the adjutant to bring a leather bag and handed it to Okabe Naosaburo, saying that it was a little meaning, and His Excellency the Chief of Staff of Wanwang smiled. After the expansion of the North China Public Security Army, it will certainly live up to the trust of the imperial army and the support and cultivation of His Excellency the Commander and His Excellency the Chief of Staff, and will serve the great cause of realizing the integration of Manchurian and Chinese countries as soon as possible.

After Okabe Naosaburo took the leather bag, he saw that there were neat stacks of gold bars inside, and his heart was so happy that it was already full of cherry blossoms, and he told Qi Kuiyuan to be vigilant, strictly guard the defensive line, and get in the car and return to the headquarters of the North China Front.

(To be continued)